Newcomer Drew Storen allowed four runs.
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For the Pirates to salvage any hope of making the playoffs this season, they will need to go out and add another pitcher before the August 1 trade deadline.
Called on to keep their team in a 3-1 game against the Pirates and have that rally chance, the combination of Drew Storen, Nathan Karns and David Rollins proceeded to turn the game into a 10-1 rout that allowed numerous fans to head for the exits of PNC Park early to beat stadium traffic. Andrew McCutchen and Jung Ho Kang had performances at the plate that hinted at breakouts of their months-long slumps, and the Pirates abused starter James Paxton and the Mariners bullpen to the tune of a 10-1 victory.
Cole pitched nine innings, giving up one run on just three hits with no walks and six strikeouts.
Freddie Freeman, Braves: Falling a triple shy of his second cycle of the season, Freeman went 4-for-4 with a season-high five RBIs, a walk and a stolen base against the Twins.
Following the game, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle announced that Steven Brault (0-0, 2.25 ERA) would be called up from Triple-A Indianapolis to start Friday’s road contest against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Cole threw 93 pitches, 69 for strikes, against a Mariners’ lineup stacked with seven left-handed hitters and a switch-hitter while becoming the first Pirates pitcher to complete a game with fewer than 100 pitches since Francisco Liriano, who also needed just 94 at St. Louis on August 14, 2013. “Tip your hat to him”.
Servais was correct. No pitcher had gone the distance against Seattle this season.
Needless to say, the defense came to play Wednesday, and these were some of the many gems made through out the night.
“I’ve got to have better mechanics”.
Aoki had two of the three hits – a pair of doubles to right field.
Really good outing. Really good outing.
Gutierrez led off the inning with a first-pitch homer to right, his 10th home run of the season. Not only did Cole throw a complete game, he did it on just 93 pitches. He arrived in Pittsburgh just in time for the pregame workout.
The Mariners’ only run came in the sixth inning after Aoki’s second leadoff double. “Also, it’s that time of the year where some guys just start to turn it on”.
“I wasn’t as strong in the eighth and ninth as I was earlier in the game but once we got the lead and expanded on it, with the type of contact we were getting and way we were playing great on defense all night, there was no sense fooling around because we already had a good ballgame going on”, Cole said. It was a good day for me as far as the feel goes, and had the results with it. This didn’t matter though, as Jordy Mercer would immediately double to left with the outfield in a shift, scoring the runner on third. When Paxton nicked Marte with a pitch, the Pirates had the bases loaded with one out.
“It’s something I don’t do all that often”, Storen admitted of the extra inning. “I’ve got to have better mechanics”. They got some weird hits. I thought I did. It was the first time in Hernandez’s career he has given up a homer to a pitcher. Kang would immediately hit an RBI double to clear the bases and make it 7-1 Pittsburgh.
“That was a big hit there that busted it open”, Servais said. Starling Marte has knocked 109 hits with 54 runs, seven homers and 35 RBI.
Indians 7, Nationals 6: Francisco Lindor pushed an RBI single through Washington’s drawn-in infield with one out in the ninth inning, and Cleveland rallied for three runs in its final at-bat to stun Washington in a matchup of first-place teams with sights on October.
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To be sure, last night’s win did a lot for wayward Pirates fans who were looking for some reassurance. Josh Harrison hit a soft liner to left-center that seemed like a catchable ball. Cole made a barehanded grab and stepped on the base just ahead of Aoki. However, the next inning tainted the reliever’s debut with the Seattle Mariners. “I kind of guessed at where it would be”. “There’s no flat-out way I’m taking him out of that game”.
